Dale Murphy Deserves to Be in the Hall of Fame

Every year the Baseball Hall of Fame puts some of the best talent to ever grace a basetball field into Cooperstown.

For the last nine years, the Hall of Fame voters have missed the boat on a clear-cut choice.

Dale Murphy has now been on the Hall of Fame ballot since 1998 and has never so much as gotten a sniff from the Baseball Writers of America - the people who vote for the award.
While other retired players are close to getting the necessary votes, Murphy isn't one of them. He is behind Tommy John, Andre Dawson and Steve Garvey.

It appears the closest Murphy will get to Cooperstown is by purchasing a ticket like the rest of us.

Growing up, Murphy was my favorite player on my favorite team, the Atlanta Braves.
Back in the 1980s the Braves' success was limited to 1982 when the team won the NL West and lost to eventual world champion St. Louis in the NLCS. Aside from that, the only bright spot of the decade was "the Murph."

I eagerly awaited each Murphy at bat because he was the only one who would get things done. Surrounded by scrubs like Rafael Ramirez and Ken Oberkfell. Despite having no support in his lineup, or a pitching staff for that matter, the Murph still excelled. He won back-to-back National League MVP awards in 1982 and 1983 and finished in the top 10 for the award in 1984 and 1985.

Murphy hit more home runs in the 1980s than any other player. His last outstanding season came in 1987 when he belted 44 home runs and drove in 105. After that, injuries, age and a pathetic lineup starting taking their toll as he slumped to .226 and .228 averages in 1988 and 1989.

Even during his toughest years, I was a fan and would imitate his swing while playing ball in the backyard. When the Braves weren't on TBS I would sit in front of my radio hoping to get a signal out of Atlanta. I would keep my dad updated with each Murphy at bat and when the morning paper arrived I would look through the box score, hoping I had missed one of his hits.

The Murph was eventually traded, for a bag of chew and a bucket of balls, to the Philadelphia Phillies in 1990. The Phillies were at least mediocre, which made them a step up from the Braves.

In Philly I have a couple of Murphy memories.
The Phillies were playing the Cubs as the Vet in 1991. The Murph came to bat with the bases loaded. The always entertaining Cubs announcer Harry Caray said all the Cubs had to do was throw the ball off the plate to strike him out. The Cubs didn't listen. Pitcher Les Lancaster put one right down the middle and the Murph put it over the fence for a grand slam as the Phillies won 6-2 in 11 innings.

As a member of Philadelphia, Murphy was also part of what was the biggest comeback in baseball history. Down 11-3 going into the ninth, the Phillies scored nine runs to win 12-11 in a road game against the Dodgers. Murphy drove in a pair of runs with a double in the decisive inning.

He retired in 1993 as a member of the fledgling Colorado Rockies. Needing just two home runs to reach the magical total of 400, Murphy retired due to back problems. When he retired I liked his chances of reaching the Hall of Fame. Unfortunately, the juiced ball era followed and the lure of the home run was cheapened. Suddenly 398 homers weren't that many. In 1993, Murphy ranked 27th on the career home run list.

Thanks to the juiced balls and players, he is now 45th with people like players like Juan Gonzalez and Rafael Palmeiro ahead of him. As the home runs piled up, people forgot about the Murph, including the Hall of Fame voters.

What also hurts is .265 career batting average. But Murphy, a centerfielder, was as dependable as they come. He played 162 games four years in a row, was a five time Gold Glove winner and was an All-Star seven times.

I am convinced that had Murphy played for the Red Sox, Yankees or Dodgers he would be one of the elite. Let's just say the Braves weren't exactly a hot ticket in the 1980s. Atlanta ranked near the bottom in attendance every year Murphy was in Atlanta.

Aside from his exploits on the field, Murphy was also a star off it. He was Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year in 1987. He was inducted into the World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame in 1995 and also won the Roberto Clemente and Lou Gehrig awards while a player and the Bart Giamatti award due to his charitable efforts.

Thought I know it's a long shot, I'll keep looking for the Murph's name every time I see a Hall of Fame story. Maybe one of these years the Hall of Fame will see things the way I do.